Thank You Letter Basics
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Creating A Professional Thank You Letter
A professional thank you letter can change the fate of your job search. Employers truly appreciate the gesture of a thank you letter and the opportunity to get to know you better. Getting to know you means learning more about what you can do for the company. A professional cover letter will effectively promote you to your potential employer. It will help you to build a solid relationship and set you apart from the crowd. The elements of a professional thank you letter include structure, content, presentation and follow through.
The basic structure of the content should be as follows:
Formatted with standard business letter structure.
Should begin with the potential employees name and address followed by the date.
The letter should then include the recipients name and title, the company name and address.
The content will then begin with a salutation.
End the letter with your signature.
Stick to standard letter margins and single spacing for the body is recommended.
The content:
The first paragraph of the letter will begin with some kind of appreciation. That may be thanking the potential employer for the interview, thanking someone who may have helped you with your career search or thanking someone at the company for being particularly helpful.
The body is you chance to reiterate your interest in the position. You should also take this opportunity to highlight your selling points in relation to the new information you have gleaned from the interview.
Finally you can address any concerns the interviewer might have had during the interview and answer any questions you feel may need a little more detail.
Presentation
A thank you letter should be presented professionally with standard fonts, paper and letterhead.
Your letter should be mistake free and double checked for typos and spelling errors.
You should stick to formal business structure for your letter.
Any job correspondence document you send should be clean and free of smudges and creases.
It is best to send a thank you note as soon as possible after an interview within 48 hours is ideal.
Follow through
To give your candidacy the best chance follow up with a phone call within the week. You can ask whether your letter has been received and how the process is going. You can also use this time to engage the employer in conversation to further build on the relationship.
Thank you letters are expected and are part of interview protocol so a phone call will just show employers you are willing to go the extra mile. Because thank you letters are so common a phone call might be the thing that sets you apart.
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Force A Decision With Your Thank You Letter
After a job interview you have a window of opportunity to reach the potential employer and cement your case for the job. Employers often take their time processing the applications and think about the interviews. Job seekers often sit back and wait for the employer to contact them. If you want to put yourself ahead of the crowd then you need to take action to do so.
Thank you letters are a nice way to help the process along and give you the jump on the competition. A well-timed thank you letter might just get the ball rolling and force the employer to make a decision. A strong follow up letter could motivate the employer to give your application serious thought.
Your thank you letter should be unique and dynamic. Thank you letters are common so avoid the formulated letter and clichéd content. Give them something they are not going to get from the other 50 applicants. Your individual selling points are a good place to start but there are also other ways you can distinguish yourself from the competition.
A good thank you letter should be about showing your appreciation. Try to mix it up a little and move away from standard sentiments. "Thank you for you time and consideration for the position" can be replaced with "I thoroughly enjoyed meeting with you to discuss the position requirements and I sincerely thank you for your time and attention to my application." Remember you will have a personal connection with the interviewer so you are the best person to judge how you should approach the sentiment. While the letter should generally be formal there is room for a more relaxed approach. You will be able to determine this approach after the interview.
Thank you letters are an important professional courtesy but they are also an important opportunity too. You have the power to influence the decision with a thank you letter. You should reiterate your interest in the role and the company. You can then make a few brief points that will highlight your selling points in relation to position requirements and company goals. These can be very specific and it is good to align these with discussion points in the interview.
Keep your letter brief, professional and succinct. Make it easy for the employer to read and understand. Grab attention with your selling points, use bullets or highlighting to emphasize your body content. Be sincere with your thank you appreciation. Make this your first point and remember employers won?t appreciate a letter that is all about you.
Connecting personally with the employer in your thank you letter may force a decision in your favor. If you can build on your relationship with the employer you have already put yourself ahead of the competition. A thank you letter will reemphasize your interest, qualifications and expertise. It will showcase your abilities in relation to the position requirements and company goals. A good thank you letter is an essential part of your job search correspondence and should not be overlooked.
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Formatting Tips For A Successful Thank You Letter
When it comes to securing a job it is best to stick to proven methods and techniques. Professional job correspondence is vital to the success or failure of your job search. As with any document you use in your job correspondence professional formatting is a must.
There are 3 main areas you need to be concerned with in terms of a winning format for your thank you letter.
Layout
The layout of your letter should follow standard business letter format.
The address block ? This should include your name, street address, city and state.
The recipients address block ? This should include the name and title of the interviewer/employer and the company name and address.
The salutation ? This should be directed to the interviewer or contact
The body ? This will contain your thank you appreciation and relevant content such as restated interest in the job, re-established skills and selling points and any issues, concerns or extra information.
Signature block ? This should be signed by hand and be set at the bottom left hand margin.
Content Structure
The content can be presented in various ways to make your letter more appealing to read. The structure of the content can help highlight your main selling points in a clear and concise manner.
Less is more when it comes to thank you letters. You should keep it brief and to the point. Make your content appealing to read both visually and in terms of flow.
Bullet points and underlining or highlighting is a great way to draw the reader?s attention to your main points. This kind of content structure is easy to read and it breaks up the body. It also draws immediate attention to important points you want to make.
Small paragraphs and small sentences should make up the content of a thank you letter. Keep paragraphs to a maximum 3 sentences. Be clear and succinct and avoid long-winded wordy sentences. Make the most of the words you use by adding some high impact action verbs.
Presentation
The presentation of your letter is just as important as what you say in it.
It is best to use standard fonts such as Times New Roman or Arial.
Stick to white print quality paper.
Avoid the use of borders and other design features. Clean and clear is more professional and easy to read.
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Personalizing Your Thank You Letter
The key to standing out from the crowd comes down to how you interact and connect with the interviewer. Ultimately if you can form a relationship with the person who makes the decisions regarding your candidacy you put yourself one step ahead of the pack. This can come down to something as simple as having a rapport with the potential employer, having something in common with them or just engaging them in stimulating conversation during the interview. Your target letter should reflect the kind of tone of the interview. If you have already established a relaxed informal relationship then it's ok to continue like that with the letter.
After the interview you will have a fair idea as to what kind of relationship you are forming with the employer. A thank you letter can go a long way to further developing an already established bond or giving you a second chance to connect. A thank you letter is a selling tool. It is powerful because you can approach the letter from a more personal perspective. You know who will be reading it and you will have had experiences and conversations during the interview that are unique to you. Draw on these interactions in your letter and show that you have really understood the interview.
In a thank you letter you can expand on specific questions the interviewer may have had about you. You have the opportunity to go over any questions you feel you may not have answered sufficiently in the interview. By relating the content of the letter personally to the conversation you show that you understood the line of questioning and the role.
The advantage of a thank you letter is that you are targeting your sales message directly to a person you have had contact with. You are able to address their personal concerns and questions. You are able to assess their expectations and requirements for the job. Thank you letters can be very formal or they can be more relaxed. The tone of your letter will depend on your relationship with the interviewer and on the feel of the company. If you have hit it off with a potential employer then your thank you letter can continue in the same context.
Fundamentally a thank you letter is about showing your appreciation but it has the potential to do a lot more than that. A thank you letter is a chance to reconnect with your prospective employer. Your connection with the person who makes decisions will be instrumental to your success or failure. Use the thank you letter to personally address and connect with the interviewer. This is your best chance to stand out from other applicants.
The benefit of targeting your letter towards an individual you have already had contact with is that you will know what they are specifically interested in. If you know this then you can appeal to what they want. If they are the person making the decision regarding your candidacy then you need to work on strengthening your relationship with them through your job correspondence. A thank you letter provides an opportunity to directly market your skills to a viable audience. Take advantage of this opportunity to develop your personal relationship with the employer. If nothing else you will be widening your circle of networks and possibly opening up doors for the future.
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The Facts About Thank You Letters
Fact - Sending a formulated thank you letter is not enough these days. It is expected after an interview that the potential employee send a thank you letter. Your letter needs to stand out; it should grab attention and further highlight what you can bring to the company. Generic letters do not cut it in a highly competitive market. Your letter should reflect the tone of the interview.
Fact - Not sending a thank you note is fatal. Thank you letters and follow up letters are part of job-hunting protocol. If you fail to do so you will be eliminated from the race undoing all the hard work you put in to get there. Most employers will think you are rude and will not consider you for the job.
Fact - A thank you letter is a vital marketing tool. A thank you letter, like cover letters are a tool for selling your unique attributes. The thank you letter offers you the opportunity to reinforce your skills and qualifications in relation to the position. After an interview you will have a better idea about the audience you are writing to so you can target your letter more effectively. Self-promotion is a requirement for serious job seekers.
Fact - Specifics get results. When it comes to the thank you letter there is no excuse for not knowing whom you are addressing. The most effective way to set you apart is to connect personally with the employer. Also relate the points in your letter to specific points of discussion in the interview. Be specific about the ways in which you view your skills as assets to the position and company.
Fact - Thank you letters should be sent out within 48 hours of the interview. It is important to follow up promptly after you have concluded your interview. Remember your potential employer will be getting lots of thank you letters so you should try get this done as soon as possible. If you are struggling to write something a quick thank you note written immediately after will suffice until you have crafted a suitable letter. But don't leave it any longer than a week or you won't be considered.
Fact - Less is more. Like all marketing material you need to get to the point quickly. Essentially you should grab their attention in the first paragraph. A well-written succinct and professional thank you letter may just be the defining factor of your job search. Keep it simple and brief and make your points clearly.
Fact - A thank you letter is only one part of your follow up. It is advisable to phone your interviewer within a week of sending the letter. You can use this conversation to ask if your letter was received and then move on to discuss areas that may still be unclear. Finally you should enquire as to the progress of your application. This will provide further opportunity to connect with the employer and hopefully strengthen your relationship with the person who will be making the decision.
Fact - Even if you don't want the job you should send a thank you letter. If you decide you don't want the position after the interview you should still send a thank you letter. This is simply professional courtesy and will ensure that future opportunities are a possibility. Thank you letters are also a great way to network.
Fact - Thank you letters get results. Following up an interview with a thank you letter is a great way to enhance your opportunities. Even if you don't get the job you are laying the platform for future networking. A thank you letter is a networking tool. They can be useful for making contacts within the company, with a recruiter or with people in your industry.
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